State says dog handled properly

John Biemer, Tribune staff reporterCHICAGO TRIBUNE

DuPage County Animal Care and Control committed no violations in its handling of a Labrador retriever with a swollen ear because an examination of the dog found it was not in pain and was otherwise healthy, according to an Illinois Department of Agriculture investigation.

At a DuPage County Board meeting last month, Cherie Travis, head of the Downers Grove non-profit animal shelter People and Animals in Community Together Humane Society, described the dog's swollen ear as "inflated like a football." She said it was "egregious" that the county facility had not provided treatment, and said the act could be a misdemeanor under state law.

Beth Welch, head of the county's Animal Control Department, defended the agency's actions Tuesday at a meeting of the County Board's Judicial and Public Safety Committee, which oversees the department.

Welch said the owners of the dog, named Max, gave him to the county in early August because they could no longer afford treatment for the recurring hematoma. After consulting by phone with a veterinarian, animal-control officials determined that the condition was neither life-threatening nor painful, she said.

"He was happy, wagging his tail," Welch told the committee. "An animal in distress would not eat. He wasn't showing any of these signs."

Since 1991, five of the seven complaints lodged against DuPage animal control were determined to be unfounded, according to Jeff Squibb, a Department of Agriculture spokesman. Warnings were issued in two cases, he said: one in 1991 for allowing adoption of a puppy that was too young; and another in 1992, when a cat was euthanized too quickly.

Travis said she was "stunned" the county was not going to follow and insisted that Max, whom her organization adopted, was in pain.

"How much pain the dog was in is not the issue," she said. "It should have been treated."

Also Tuesday, the County Board's Government Efficiency Committee approved fee increases for animal control and care, which will bring in an expected $500,000 more a year in revenue. The department, which is self-supporting, had $953,000 in revenue this year, according to Roberta Owens, the animal control manager.

Animal registration accounts for 80 percent of the department's revenue. The annual fee for dogs and cats will increase to $10 from $6 under the proposal. Some other fees will go up sharply--the cost of providing euthanasia and disposing of an old or sick animal over 15 pounds will jump to $75 from $15. But County Board members also reduced the adoption fee for senior citizens from $10 to $1 for one animal to encourage adoption, which they say can provide important companionship to the elderly.

Owens said the county has not updated most of its fees since 1997, and the proposals, which the County Board still must approve, are on par with those in surrounding counties.

The additional revenue, Owens said, would be used for capital improvements such as new kennel doors, security card readers and modifications to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act.